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-----Original Message-----
From: Krishna Malik [mailto:krishna -dot- malik -at- nucleussoftware -dot- com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 12:12 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Creating a Navigation Chart
My Project Manager wants me to create a navigation chart for the software
application. I have tried using the Org Chart object in MS Word, Visio and
SmartDraw, but the chart is too large to fit in any of these formats. I do
not want to break it up at the same level and go to another page. Can
someone please suggest a better tool?
----------------------------------------------
The problem is not that the charting application is too small...it's that
the application for which you are creating the application is too big.
In Visio, I regularly make a custom page size to fit the whole chart. I
recently made a page format almost 100 inches wide to describe an end-to-end
process. Then after I had the process laid out, redefined the printer size
at 11 X 8.5 and placed connectors where it spread from one page to the next.
My network people create Visio layoutouts of the network and output it on
24" X 36" plotters...at Barnes&Noble.com, we have a BIG network.
My web people create Visio layoutouts of the web and output multiple 24" X
36" layouts and scotch tape them together on the wall of a room...at
Barnes&Noble.com, we have a REALLY BIG web.
I also use ledger size (11X17) for some things I'm doing. The trick isn't
size, but the way you organize it so logical segments are kept in the same
quadrant so when you do break it up, the connectors are kept to a minimum.
You can't have your cake and eat it. Either make the page bigger, draw less
stuff, reduce the size of what you are writing about, or make the element
1/4" in size and the font at 4pt. The application isn't the issue. The
volume of content and the limitations of your output device are.
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
Barnes&Noble.com
jposada -at- book -dot- com
212-414-6656
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